Article hangers

Abstract

An article hanger or keeper comprises a wire formed as a major portion of one turn of a geometric solenoid with two hook end portions having bent-back ends which include bends of approximately π radians (180°) around a radius approximating the diameter of the wire, to provide hangers which may be used singly or in series. The hangers are easy for a human to install and lock or unlock, without a need for any auxiliary tool, but very unlikely to become accidentally unlocked. One disclosed embodiment utilizes a slightly elliptical turn, which renders the hanger self-orienting to deter one type of accidental unlocking.

I claim: 
     
       1. An article hanger for temporarily suspending one or more articles, said hanger being capable of ready deliberate locking and unlocking and selectively usable in a chained fashion with one or more hangers or the like to support an article at a selected elevation, said article hanger comprising a metal wire having a central portion and a pair of end portions, said metal wire formed to approximate substantially one turn of a geometric solenoid when said ends are disconnected, one of said ends being bent at an angle outwardly and in a first axial direction from a plane containing said central portion formed when said pair of ends are connected together, and the other of said end portions being bent at an angle outwardly and in an opposite axial direction from said plane formed when said pair of ends are connected together, said end portions extending at said angle in mutually-opposite directions and each of said end portions being bent back toward a respective end of said central portion at an angle exceeding 0.75 π radian, whereby the ends of said hanger are prevented from unlocking when opposing forces are placed on said hanger's central or end portions and whereby said geometric solenoid shape permits ease of locking and unlocking. 
     
     
       2. The article hanger according to claim 1 wherein said end portions are each bent back toward a respective end of said central portion at an angle of substantially Π radians (180°). 
     
     
       3. The article hanger according to claim 1 wherein said wire has a circular cross-section and said central portion has a diameter exceeding 20 times the diameter of said wire. 
     
     
       4. The article hanger according to claim 1 wherein said central portion departs from a substantially circular configuration to be slightly elliptical, having major and minor axes, said minor axis intersecting said central portion at substantially the mid-point of said central portion. 
     
     
       5. The article hanger according to claim 1 wherein the length of at least one of said bent-back end portions lies between two to ten times the diameter of said metal wire. 
     
     
       6. The article hanger according to claim 1 wherein said wire has a circular cross-section and a diameter and the length of at least one of said bent-back portions substantially equals the diameter of said metal wire. 
     
     
       7. The article hanger according to claim 2 wherein said wire has a circular cross-section and a diameter and in which, when said end portions are not engaging each other and the hanger lies free in a relaxed condition of said hanger said end portions are spaced apart in a direction normal to said central portion by a distance exceeding four times the diameter of said metal wire. 
     
     
       8. The article hanger according to claim 4 wherein the length of said major axis is between 100 and 120% of the length of said minor axis.